


The Night Before

by Laparoscopic



Series: EGS [12]
Category: El Goonish Shive
Genre: Alcohol, Aliens, Bachelorette Party, F/F, F/M, Gen, Gender Swapping, Gossip, Hot Tub, Magic, Multi, Other, Revelation, Sex Talk, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 18:42:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10837125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laparoscopic/pseuds/Laparoscopic
Summary: The night before Sarah and Grace and Tedd's wedding. A traditional time for alcohol-fueled conversations.





	The Night Before

Grace tapped her room key to the hotel room’s lock, and pushed the door open. She entered the room and held the door open for bellhop, who pushed the luggage cart into the room. Sarah followed behind them, fumbling with her purse as she dug for her wallet to find some money for a tip. She didn’t look up until she’d taken several steps into the room, and when she did, she gave a startled little gasp.

“What the—uh, is this the right room?” She stared around the spacious living area, wide-eyed.

“Suite seventeen-oh-one,” said the bellhop. “Is there a problem?”

“Uh…” She continued to stare, taking in the expansive living area with several comfy sofas, windows on two walls, the hot tub on the balcony, and the multiple doors leading off of the room to different sleeping areas. “Grace? Did you book this?”

Grace looked smugly pleased at Sarah’s stunned reaction. “Nothing but the best for my sweetie.”

“But—the cost—” Sarah began to protest, but Grace put a finger to Sarah’s lips, cutting her off.

“It’s just for one night. And how often are we going to get married? We need a proper space for our bachelorette party. There are four separate bedrooms for us all.”

“Uh… wow.” Sarah stared around for a few more moments, then Grace smiled and gave her a kiss.

“It’s going to be your last night as my fiancée. Let’s enjoy it.”

Sarah smiled at that, and kissed her back. “Your last night, too.”

While Sarah had been staring around the room, the bellhop had been efficiently unloading their cart, placing their suitcases in one of the rooms, and hanging up their large dress bags. Sarah shook her head, grabbed a ten from her wallet, and pressed it into the young man’s hand. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, and thank you. If you need anything else, just call the front desk. Have a lovely wedding.”

“Thanks,” Sarah repeated absently, looking out the sliding glass doors to the balcony. As the door to their room clicked shut, Grace said, “I’m going to call Tedd, see if they’re in yet.”

“Okay,” said Sarah. She was a little stunned and overwhelmed by the size of the suite. She walked over to the balcony doors and let herself out into the warm evening air.

The balcony was even larger than it appeared from inside the room, wrapping around the corner of the building, and the hot tub looked large enough to hold eight people, if they didn’t mind getting a little cozy. Sarah looked at the tub, then frowned. _Nuts, my swim suit is packed away in my honeymoon suitcase._ Which was in the luggage check downstairs, waiting for their get-away tomorrow night, after the reception. Then she shook her head, and smiled. _But, of course, I know what Grace’s proposed solution to_ that _will be._ She wondered if Grace had deliberately neglected to mention the presence of a hot tub in their suite for that very reason. It would not surprise her in the least.

“Tedd’s not answering, and the front desk says he and Elliot haven’t checked in yet,” said Grace, as she stepped out onto the balcony. “I left them a message, telling them our room number.” She leaned on the balcony railing, and looked out at the sunset for a few moments. Then she turned around and grinned at Sarah. She pulled her into a hug, gave her a quick kiss, and said, “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get the wine and champagne into the fridge, and get things ready for the party.”

 

* * *

 

The rest of their bridal parties trickled in over the course of the next hour. Susan was first. Marco dropped her and her suitcase off before giving her a quick kiss and beating a hasty retreat. Sarah had never worked up the nerve to ask Susan if she’d told her husband about her earliest sexual experiences, but given the odd way he sometimes behaved around the triad, she suspected she had.

Ellen, Carol and Vladia all bumped into each other at check-in, and arrived at the suite together. Ruthie and Indrani arrived a few minutes later.

They sorted themselves into the four rooms surrounding the main living room area, Grace with Sarah, Carol with their cousin Ruthie, Ellen with Susan, and the other two aliens, Vladia with Indrani. Sarah had worried for a few moments about the idea of the exuberant Indrani sharing a room with the reserved Vladia, but she figured if anyone could handle Indrani, Vladia could. And besides, it was just for one night.

They all reacted with varying degrees of aplomb when Grace announced that the party would begin shortly in the hot tub, bathing suits not required. Actively discouraged, in fact. Indrani looked pleased, Susan looked resigned, and Ruthie looked a little nervous.

Grace was the first to the tub. She slipped off the white hotel-supplied terrycloth robe and tossed it onto a lounge chair, then stepped up onto the platform around the tub. Sarah was frozen for a moment in simple admiration, as she often was upon first seeing Grace naked. _This woman wants to spend the rest of her life with me_ , she thought happily. Grace dipped an exploratory toe in the water, then stepped in, smiling and sighing as she sank into the steaming water.

“Feel good?” asked Sarah, as she leaned over the edge of the tub to dip her hand in. It was hotter than a bath, but not intolerable.

“Oh, yes,” sighed Grace. She gave Sarah a happy but tired smile. “It’s been a… _busy_ week, hasn’t it?”

Sarah chuckled. “That’s one way to put it. We’ll need the honeymoon just to recover from the wedding.” She glanced once more around the balcony, but there were still no other rooms in line-of-sight of the hot tub. She took a breath, then took off her robe and draped it over a chair. It felt a little odd to be naked outdoors, but also a little exciting. Naughty. She placed her drink on the side of the tub next to Grace, and stepped into the tub beside her. She paused a moment, then sat on the edge of the tub with just her lower legs in the water, adjusting to the heat.

“How’s the water?” asked Ruthie. Sarah looked up to see her cousin, wrapped in the white hotel robe, standing by the chairs and table next to the tub.

“Great; I’m just getting used to it,” said Sarah. Ruthie smiled, looking a bit nervous, and also looked out over the edge of the balcony at the surrounding area. “It’s private here,” Sarah reassured her. Ruthie nodded, but kept her robe on.

“Oh, yeah,” said Indrani happily, as she came out onto the balcony. She dropped her robe unceremoniously to the ground and climbed up on the tub, her impressive mass jiggling a little as she did so. She sat on the edge and swiveled around, putting her legs in the water. She smiled, apparently pleased with what she felt, and slid right into the water without hesitation. A goodly amount of water sloshed over the edge of the tub as she sat. Sarah grabbed a stack of towels on the edge of the tub to save them from getting soaked.

“Ahhh…” Indrani sighed, and leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “So good.” Sarah recalled that Indrani always kept her apartment rather warm. She suspected that her home planet was a bit warmer than Earth.

Ruthie watched Indrani settle in with wide eyes. The large woman’s unselfconsciousness seemed to inspire Ruthie, and, taking a deep breath, she determinedly took off her robe and draped it over Sarah’s on the chair. She climbed up onto the hot tub ledge and sat down next to Sarah, dangling her legs in the water. She cast a sidelong glance at Sarah and Grace, and smiled a little nervously.

“I haven’t been naked in front of anyone besides Brandon in years,” she admitted.

“Really? Not even in a gym locker room?” asked Sarah. She cautiously slid into the water, enjoying the warmth.

Ruthie snorted, and gestured at herself. “Does this body _look_ like I frequent the gym?”

Indrani opened her eyes and cast an appreciative look at Ruthie, still sitting on the edge of the tub, mostly out of the water. “There could be muscle under that delicious feminine padding,” she said. “ _I_ work out regularly.”

“You _do?_ ” Ruthie blurted, then blushed. “I mean, I’m sorry, it’s just, ah…”

“I don’t look like I work out?” said Indrani, sounding unoffended. She smiled. “I work out because I like being strong. It so happens I also like to eat.” She shrugged. “And my… family tends towards being large, so it’s just part of my genetic heritage.”

_Family_ in this case meaning the Miktela race, Sarah suspected. Although she’d never met any other Miktela, so she really had no idea what was normative for that race.

“How’s the water?” asked Ellen, as she and Vladia came out onto the balcony.

“It’s lovely,” said Grace. “Come on in.”

Ellen tossed her robe onto the pile building up on the chair, and climbed into the tub. Vladia more carefully folded her robe in half and draped it over an empty chair. Sarah was surprised to see the tall woman wearing a black bikini bottom.

“Hey, no fair,” protested Ellen, as she spotted Vladia’s attire. “ _We’re_ all naked.”

Vladia shook her head. “I’m having my period.”

“Ah. Okay,” conceded Ellen.

Vladia also climbed into the water without hesitation, and Ruthie finally slid into the water too.

Carol and Susan came out onto the balcony, each of them carrying four cans of flavored seltzer water. Susan’s waist-length hair was twisted up in a massive bun on the back of her head.

“Susan insisted we need to keep hydrated in the heat,” explained Carol, rolling her eyes slightly. They set the cans down around the edge of the hot tub, in easy reach of everyone.

“It’s important,” protested Susan. “The alcohol will dehydrate us enough as it is. I don’t want to go to the wedding hung-over.”

“Thanks, Susan,” said Grace.

They both went back inside, and returned with their wine glasses in hand. Carol tossed her robe on top of the large pile and sat on the edge of the tub, getting into the water slowly. Susan draped hers over another empty chair and climbed up on the edge of the tub.

Sarah looked over at Susan as she sat down, and her eyebrows shot up. “When did you shave off your pubes?” she asked, without thinking.

Susan flushed, set her wine glass down on the edge of the tub, and slid into the water, quickly hiding the naked labia in question. She hissed a little at the heat, but kept on slipping down, until her breasts were concealed in the water as well.

“Really,” said Ellen. “You’re the _last_ person I would have figured to go for that style.” Carol nodded in agreement.

Susan glared a little at Ellen, then shifted her glare to Sarah.

“Uh, sorry,” said Sarah. “I was just… surprised.”

Susan glared a moment longer, then relented and sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I guess it does seem odd, for me.” She reached behind her head to fold a towel behind her neck, careful to keep her hair out of the water. She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and seemed to melt a little into the heat.

When it became obvious that Susan wasn’t going to explain any further, Ellen said, “So… why did you?”

Susan cracked one eye open and peered at Ellen, who just cocked her head and stared back, smiling curiously. Susan closed her eye and shook her head a little. “It just makes things… easier.”

“Easier? Makes _what_ easier?” asked Ellen.

Susan grimaced, then said, “I’m still struggling a bit with some of my various… neuroses. I… enjoy cunnilingus. I really like having Marc go down on me—”

“Amen, sister!” said Indrani with a grin.

Susan opened her eyes again just long enough to roll them. “But sometimes I get too self-conscious about my… personal hygiene. A smooth vulva makes it easier for me to not worry about him getting… turned off by me.”

“If he can’t deal with a little bit of hair in his mouth—” began Carol, but Susan chopped a hand through the air, cutting her off. She opened her eyes and looked at Carol.

“It’s not for him. It’s for _me_. He doesn’t care, one way or the other. But it makes _me_ feel better. Less up-tight. More… self-confident.”

“Oh.” Carol looked a little startled at that, and Sarah could imagine why. Self-confidence rarely seemed to be a problem for Susan, at least in public life. But having seen Susan in sexual situations before, the answer made sense to Sarah.

“You know, a totally bare cootch is more susceptible to STI’s, and irritation,” said Carol. “If your concern is health.”

Susan grimaced. “Yeah, I know. It has nothing to do with reason, okay? It’s just my own irrational feelings. Besides, I’m married and monogamous. Not really worrying about STI’s so much any more.”

“Lucky you,” said Carol, a little wistfully. As far as Sarah knew, her sister was currently single, and had been for quite some time.

Susan glanced at Ellen, sitting on the edge of the tub cooling off, with also obviously hairless genitals. “Why do _you_ shave, Ellen?” asked Susan, deflecting the conversation away from herself.

Ellen grinned, and shook her head. “I don’t. I’m just naturally hair-free.”

“What, really?” asked Ruthie. “Is that even possible?”

Ellen shrugged, and shot a glance at Sarah. Sarah gave her a little shake of the head, so Ellen said, “Well, I guess so, since I am.”

“Me too,” put in Grace.

“Sheesh. Lucky,” said Ruthie enviously. “Wish I were.”

Susan closed her eyes again and leaned her head back, smiling a little.

“You’ve got such a pretty blonde bush, why would you even _want_ to shave it off?” Indrani asked. “Most blondes have to put up with mis-matching brown carpets”—she waved a hand at Carol and Sarah—“but you don’t.”

Ruthie blushed. Sarah would be willing to bet that she wasn’t used to receiving compliments on her pubic hair. “Um… ‘cause I liked the way it felt? But I hated the itchy stubble, and in-grown hairs more, so…” she shrugged.

“Well, professional waxing helps cut down on the in-grown hairs,” said Carol. “Though nothing stops stubble, unless you go for electrolysis or laser hair removal.”

“Waxing— _yikes!_ ” said Ruthie. “I waxed my legs. _Once._ I can’t imagine doing that to my privates.”

“Hmm. You can get used to it. And there’s a bit of an endorphin rush from the sharp, sudden pain, which helps,” said Susan quietly. Sarah winced a little at the mental image.

“There is?” said Carol dubiously. “Lucky you. _I’ve_ never felt that.”

Susan opened her eyes and looked at Carol. “Really? Then how do you put up with it?”

“Well… I don’t do a full Brazilian, for starters. I’m not going to let that much hot wax near the heart of _my_ pussy, thank you very much.” She stood up in the tub and sat down on the edge, revealing a trim little landing strip of brown hair. She fanned herself a little, then took a sip of wine. She looked around at the circle of women, sitting in the tub or on the edge of it. “How did we get onto this topic?” she asked, shaking her head.

“Hey, it’s a bachelorette party. All matters sexual are up for discussion,” said Indrani.

“Hear, hear!” said Ellen with a grin.

Carol glanced down at Susan. “Speaking of your unexpected behaviors… you’re _also_ the last person I ever expected to take her husband’s last name when she got married.”

Susan snorted and shook her head. “Trust me, if your last name was ‘Pompoms’, you’d jump at any chance you got to change it, too.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I can see that.”

“You could’ve _both_ changed your last names,” suggested Ellen. “I’ve got a friend from college who did that.”

“Yeah, you could’ve both changed your last name to something like Takahashi, or Martinez, or Throatwobbler-Mangrove,” suggested Ruthie.

Susan laughed. “That would have just about given his mother a coronary. She’s really big on him carrying on the family name, since she doesn’t expect any of his four sisters will do so. Which is why we didn’t go with an altogether different name for both of us. It mattered more to him, and her, than it did to me.”

“As long as you got to get rid of the Pompoms,” said Sarah, grinning.

Susan sighed. “Oh, yeah. I’ve even gotten used to answering to Maiello, finally. Took most of a year, though.”

“What about you guys?” asked Ruthie. “Are all three of you going to be Verreses?”

Grace and Sarah shook their heads. “We talked about possible variations,” said Sarah.

“Hyphenation was right out,” said Grace.

Ellen laughed. “What, you didn’t want to stick your kids with ‘Brown-Verres-Sciuridae’ as a last name?”

Sarah smiled. “If nothing else, it would take them forever to fill out their names on standardized tests. But ultimately, we just decided to all keep our own last names.”

“Still debating what to do for the kids,” added Grace. “Maybe we’ll roll a die.”

“Or go with Martinez,” said Sarah with a grin.

“You could go with what my—what a friend of mine did,” said Indrani. “Create a new last name that’s some sort of compound of the parents’ first names.”

Everyone paused and looked thoughtful for a moment, trying out possible variations.

“Like… Sagratted?” said Sarah dubiously.

“Or Grasareted,” said Grace.

“Or Tesaregra,” suggested Ellen.

Indrani waggled a hand from side to side. “Eh. Admittedly, that might work better with just two mothers—two parents, I mean—than three. Maybe work with just two names, the father and the biological mother?”

“Grated?” said Grace dubiously, prompting laughter from the others. “I’m not sure that that’s much better, really.”

“Well, we’ve got some time to figure it out,” said Sarah.

“How much time?” asked Ruthie curiously.

“What?”

“Do you have any ideas on when you’re going to start a family?”

“Well, we thought we’d get married, first,” said Sarah drily.

“Okay, you’re taking care of that tomorrow. What next?” asked Carol.

Sarah shot her sister a bemused look. “Are you that eager to become an aunt?”

Carol shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “Well, I figure if you guys start popping out little rug-rats, Mom might stop bitching about me not giving her any grandchildren. Take some of the pressure off.”

“So are you still married to your work?” asked Susan.

Carol shrugged. “Kinda. It’s certainly easier to go on field assignments without a family to tie me down. And also, I just haven’t found the right person, yet.”

“I hear you,” sighed Ellen.

Grace looked at Ellen. “I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you since the break-up. How you doing?”

Ellen shrugged, and gave an only slightly forced grin. “I’m fine. It was for the best, really. Will and I were… heading in different directions. And it’s hard to…” she grimaced and shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s keep this party upbeat.” She grinned and looked at Susan. “What about you, Susan? You going to start a family any time soon?”

Susan sighed. “ _Please_. You sound like my mother-in-law.”

“But not your mother?” asked Ruthie.

Susan shook her head. “She’s still just barely accepting the notion that I’m married at all. She’s civil to Marc, but that’s about as far as she’s gotten, so far.”

“Susan’s mother is a bit of a misandrist,” Carol explained to Ruthie.

“So, back to the original question,” Ellen said. “You interested in ankle-biters?”

Susan shrugged, then pulled herself out of the water to sit on the edge of the tub. She grabbed a can of seltzer and said, “I—we—want to wait until I’m a bit better established. It would be nice if I could get to at least assistant professor first. Started on the tenure track.”

“Are you an adjunct?” asked Indrani, who was also an academic.

Susan shook her head, “No, I’m a lecturer. Full-time. But I’m hoping to move up soon.” She took a swig of seltzer, and grimaced. “Never thought I’d become so involved in departmental politics, but…”

“You kinda have to be,” concluded Indrani sympathetically.

“Yah.” Susan sighed.

“Here’s to committee meetings. May they rot in hell.” Indrani raised her wine glass in a toast to Susan, which Susan returned with her can of seltzer.

“I almost went the academic route,” said Ruthie. “But I’m glad now I didn’t.”

“If nothing else, the pay is better in industry,” said Susan.

“Oh, yeah.” Ruthie’s smile acquired a sharp edge. “My high school reunion is next month. I look forward to casually dropping my salary into conversation with a certain teacher who advised me to focus on my word processing skills, so I could always find work as a temp.”

“Shit, really?” asked Carol. “That’s appalling.”

“Really. Well, I got the last laugh on her.”

 

* * *

 

Their conversations drifted around multiple topics, as they variously got caught up on what the others had been up to recently, or got better acquainted with people they’d only heard about through Sarah or Grace. After an hour, Sarah had had enough soaking. “I’m turning into a prune,” she said, as she clambered out of the tub.

Sarah stepped off the platform around the hot tub and pulled her robe back on. Around her, the other women were doing likewise, and they headed back inside. Neither Grace nor Indrani bothered tying their robes closed, but Sarah supposed she should be grateful that they bothered putting them on at all. She took a towel and rubbed at her damp hair for a few moments. Several of the women went back to their rooms, only to return a few minutes later in pajamas or night gowns. Susan emerged from her room in cotton pajama pants and a tank top, a brush in hand. She let down her hair, and perched on the arm of one of the sofas to brush it out.

There were two semi-circular sofas flanking the circular glass coffee table full of drinks and food. Sarah opted to stay in her robe, and sat down and stretched out her legs, nudging aside a cheese platter to make room for her bare feet on the edge of the table.

“Must you?” asked Susan in an mildly aggrieved tone of voice. Sarah glanced at her friend, and pulled her feet off the table. Susan grimaced, then shook her head and said, “Sorry. I shouldn’t… you should do what you like. It’s your party, not mine.”

“Yeah, but I want you to be comfortable and have fun, too,” said Sarah.

Indrani plopped down on the couch directly across from Susan, and stretched out to place her feet on the table. Sarah and Susan both looked at her, then each other, and they burst out laughing.

“What?” asked Indrani. “What’s so funny?”

Sarah just shook her head, grinning. “Never mind.”

Ruthie sat down on the couch to Sarah’s right, dressed in summer-weight cotton night gown of surprising pinkness. Grace, still in her robe, sat down between Sarah and Ruthie, then lay down curled up, with her head in Sarah’s lap, tucking her feet behind the pillow Ruthie was leaning against. Others sat down and dug into the various snacks laid out.

The conversation veered slowly back towards the upcoming wedding, and the triad’s honeymoon plans, a two-week long visit to New Zealand, with a Lord of the Rings tour itinerary.

“Yuck, spending your first night of married life on an airplane for twenty-one hours does _not_ sound terribly romantic,” said Ellen.

“But Edward gave us business class tickets as a wedding present,” said Grace. “So at least it’ll be a little more comfortable.”

“Thank goodness,” said Sarah. She had been dreading the long hours trapped in economy class seating.

“When will you get a chance to consummate your marriage?” teased Indrani.

“Did you save your virginity for your wedding night?” asked Ruthie with a grin.

Sarah snorted. “Oh, sure, just as much as you did.” Ellen and Ruthie laughed.

“Ooh, nice one,” said Indrani.

“Okay, story time!” said Ellen. “What was everyone’s first sexual experience?” This suggestion was met by assorted laughs and groans. Sarah was just tipsy enough for the idea to sound amusing.

“Oh, no,” protested Susan. “What, are we sixteen again?”

“Did _you_ save yourself for marriage, Susan?” asked Ellen, undeterred. Sarah bit her lip and watched, wondering how Susan would answer that. If at all.

Susan glowered at Ellen. “I didn’t think of it as _saving_ anything. And Marco and I wanted to be sure we were sexually compatible _before_ we got married, not after.”

“So, Marco was your first?”

“No.”

“So, who was?”

“That’s really none of your business,” said Susan flatly.

“Spoil-sport,” said Indrani.

“Who was _your_ first,” Sarah asked Ellen, even though she knew the answer, hoping to deflect the conversation away from Susan.

“Well, that depends upon how you define it,” started Ellen, then she glanced at Ruthie.

“The first time you had an orgasm caused by someone else, and/or gave someone else an orgasm,” suggested Indrani.

“Huh. I like that definition. Well, either way, that would be Nanase, of course.”

“Of course?” said Indrani.

“My first girlfriend,” said Ellen. “Tedd’s cousin.”

“Really?” said Indrani. “You mean, you could have ended up related to Sarah and Grace by marriage?”

Ellen laughed. “Yeah, I guess. I never thought of it that way.”

“Your first girlfriend?” asked Indrani. “Not your last?”

Ellen grinned. “No, there’ve been others since. Girlfriends _and_ boyfriends.”

“Hmm.” Indrani eyed Ellen speculatively.

“I thought you were in a steady relationship now, Drani,” said Grace, echoing Sarah’s thoughts.

Indrani shrugged, smiling. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean that I’ve gone blind.” She looked back at Ellen. “So, if she’s Tedd’s cousin, is she going to be here tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Ellen.

“Should we duck and cover?”

“No, we’re on friendly terms.”

“So, no drama?” Indrani almost looked disappointed.

Ellen laughed. “Afraid not. So who was _your_ first, Drani?”

“Oh, my.” Indrani looked introspective for a moment. She smiled fondly. “Sashia. Haven’t thought ‘bout her in _years_.”

“How many years? How old were you?” asked Grace curiously.

“Thirteen,” said Indrani absently, looking lost in reminiscence.

_“Thirteen?”_ exclaimed Sarah. “Really?” Then she reflected that she really had no idea what was normal for Miktela.

“So I was a late bloomer,” Indrani said, sounding a little defensive. “Sue me.”

There was a slight pause as everyone absorbed that statement.

“Late bloomer?” said Ruthie, looking faintly appalled. “By whose standards?”

Indrani glanced at Ruthie, then she shook her head and grinned. “I was just joking. I was seventeen.” Her expression turned inward again for a moment, looking slightly wistful. “I wonder where she is now? I should write her a thank-you note. She taught me a lot.”

“An older woman?” asked Vladia curiously, breaking her long silence.

Indrani glanced at the tall woman sitting quietly at the other end of the couch. “No, just a year or so older. But… she knew what she was doing.” She grinned lasciviously. “She had a _very_ talented tongue.”

“Oh, my,” said Ruthie, blushing pink.

Indrani winked at her, then asked, “And you?”

Ruthie took a deep breath, a sip of her wine, then said, “Erik, when I was seventeen. He was a sweetie, if a bit clumsy.” She shot Sarah a glance, then grinned into her glass. “But, I got him trained right, eventually.”

Everyone laughed, and Indrani said “That’s the ticket! If you’re gonna stick with guys, at least make sure they know what they’re doing.” Indrani seemed to have appointed herself unofficial moderator of this reminiscence, because she turned to Sarah and said, “What about you, bride-to-be number one?”

Sarah laughed. “Grace and Tedd. Or Tedd and Grace. Either way.”

“So which one made you come first? Which one did _you_ make come first?” asked Indrani.

“Sheesh, Drani,” protested Sarah, although she really expected nothing less from Indrani.

“Hey, it’s a fair question,” said Ellen.

“How is that ‘fair’?” asked Grace.

“Um… ‘fair’ meaning… I’m curious?” admitted Ellen.

Grace giggled. “You mean, _nosy_.”

“Ah…” Sarah had to think a moment. “I think… um. It _was_ a decade ago…”

Grace looked startled. “You don’t remember?”

Sarah shot her an apologetic look. “I don’t have your near-eidetic memory, sweetie. _And_ you guys fucked my brains out pretty well. You can hardly blame me for forgetting a few details.”

“Humph.” Grace tried to look offended, but she couldn’t keep a straight face for long. She grinned. “I short-circuited your brain first by going down on you. Then you and Tedd finished each other off, almost simultaneously, with a little assist from me.”

“Oh! Right. Yeah.” Her memory thus jogged, the event flooded back into her mind. She blushed and smiled, as certain details bubbled to the surface.

Ruthie popped a grape into her mouth, and looked at Sarah. “If you’ll forgive a somewhat personal question—”

Several people laughed. “It’s a bit late for that,” said Susan. Sarah nodded in agreement.

Ruth grinned, and shrugged. “Sure. Okay. But… I’ve always wondered.” Then she stopped, looking embarrassed.

“Wondered what?” asked Grace.

Ruthie glanced at Grace, then back to Sarah. “How do you—I mean, what do the three of you _do_ , in bed?”

Sarah arched a brow at her cousin. “What, you need me to explain boinking to you? Should I give your fiancé some tips?”

Ruthie blushed, but pushed on. “No, but— _three_ people—I mean, logistically, how does that even _work?_ ”

“It works very well, thank you,” said Grace primly, just as Susan was taking a drink. Susan choked on her wine, and Ellen pounded her on the back as she gasped and wheezed.

“ _Ow_ ,” said Susan. “Don’t _do_ that to me, Grace.”

Sarah laughed and said to Ruthie, “It varies. Sometimes two of us will focus on the third. Sometimes one of us will sit back and watch the other two for a while. Sometimes it’s just a puppy-pile of three happy bodies. It really depends upon what we’re in the mood for.”

“Oh.”

“But the cuddling is always nice, no matter what the combination,” said Grace fondly. Sarah smiled and stroked Grace’s hair.

“Yes, the cuddling is always nice.”

Indrani turned to Grace. “And bride-to-be number two? What was your first time?”

“Tedd, of course.”

Carol cocked her head, looking at Sarah and Grace with a puzzled smile. “So, wait, the two of you have only ever had sex with each other, and Tedd? That’s it?”

“Well…”

Sarah didn’t particularly feel like going into that question in detail for her sister, but Grace said, “No, we’ve all had other experiences. With permission from the others, of course.”

“Wow.” Ruthie looked startled. “Like, with who?”

“We don’t kiss and tell,” said Sarah firmly, and Grace nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I don’t care,” said Indrani. “ _I_ got lucky with them a couple of times.” She gave Sarah and Grace a disappointed pout. “Unfortunately, I’m told they’re going to be boringly monogamous after tomorrow. Duogamous. Whatever.”

“Well, we _are_ getting married,” pointed out Sarah, blushing a little at Indrani’s revelation.

“Anyone else here lucky enough to get a taste of our lovely brides-to-be?” asked Indrani cheerily, glancing around the circle.

Sarah very carefully did _not_ glance towards Susan, but Susan just snorted, and waved a languid hand. Which made Sarah wonder just how much Susan had had to drink.

“You? _Really_?” asked Ellen incredulously.

Susan looked at Ellen, with a slightly offended look on her face. “What, am I so undesirable?”

“Well, no, quite the contrary, but— _really?_ ” Ellen seemed to be boggling a little at the idea. “For one thing, I thought you were about as close to one hundred percent straight as a person could be.”

“Call it ninety-five percent. But I don’t mind… _cuddling_ with women, I’m just not interested in sex with them.”

“So—wait a minute, wait a minute—you mean—” Ellen stumbled to a halt, just staring at Susan with her jaw hanging down.

Susan sighed. “Okay, yes, _my_ ‘first time’ was with their triad.” She waved at Sarah and Grace, with Tedd included by extension. She looked at the various expressions on the faces of the women around her, and shook her head. “Obviously, I need to work on my image a little, if everyone finds that so shocking.”

“Ah… yeah,” admitted Carol. “You seem a little… up-tight for group sex.”

“It wasn’t group sex, per se. I wasn’t really sexual with Sarah and… Grace.” She paused, then conceded, “Sensual, maybe.”

Sarah bit her lip and didn’t respond to that observation. If it made Susan feel better to frame their interactions that way, she wasn’t going to gainsay her. Grace arched an eyebrow and smiled a little, but didn’t say anything either.

Ellen finally recovered her voice. “So, what, they just let you… borrow their boyfriend to pop your cherry?” She blinked, and shook her head. “ _Tedd?”_

Sarah was beginning to find the fictions they were maintaining in order to not let slip the reality of magic in front of Ruthie a little confusing.

“I wouldn’t call it _borrowing_ ,” said Grace smoothly. “More like, sharing. In loving friendship.”

“I didn’t view my virginity as anything precious to be ‘saved’,” said Susan. “And he wasn’t… um, that is…” she trailed off, glancing at Ruthie.

Carol looked to where Susan was looking, and rolled her eyes. “Oh, for god’s sake, just tell her already.”

“Tell me what?” asked Ellen.

“Not _you_. Ruthie. We just keep dancing around the facts—”

Sarah’s felt her face go pale as she realized where Carol was heading with this line of conversation. “Carol!” Sarah glowered at her sister. “ _Shush!_ ”

Carol blinked owlishly at Sarah, and Sarah realized that Carol was a bit more tipsy than she’d thought.

“ _Shush?_ Why’re you shushing me?” asked Carol. Sarah gave Carol an exasperated look. _“What?”_

Sarah glanced over at Ruthie, but didn’t say anything. Carol shook her head.

“She’s t’only person in the room who doesn’t know. That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s not a question of _fair_ , Carol—” Sarah began.

“It’s not your place to say—” said Vladia darkly.

Ruthie looked puzzled. “I don’t know _what_?”

Carol waved an expansive hand at Grace. “My sister is marryin’ an _alien_.”

“No, I was born in America,” said Grace, trying to salvage the situation. She sat up. “Even if my parents weren’t.”

Sarah stood up and stepped around the coffee table. She tried to take Carol’s hand in hers, to pull her to her feet. “Carol, I think you’ve had enough to drink, why don’t you head—”

“No!” Carol jerked her hand out of Sarah’s and fell sideways into Vladia. She righted herself, and looked up at Vladia, looming over her. She frowned in thought. “I just realized. If you’re her sister, that means—”

“That means you _really_ should retire now,” growled Vladia.

Sarah hoped Vladia’s menacing presence would be enough to quell Carol, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Carol scowled, and said resentfully, “It’s bad enough they block me from reporting on the _real_ news, not letting me do my fucking _job_ , but hiding it from family is… is just _wrong._ ”

“Hiding _what_?” asked Ruthie.

“I’m not going to argue about this with you—” began Sarah, but Carol cut her off, addressing Ruthie.

“I’m not talking ‘bout aliens from other countries, I mean aliens from other _planets!_ ”

Ruthie laughed, then her laughter trailed off as she looked around the circle of women. No one else was laughing with her. Sarah looked around too, and realized that they weren’t exactly displaying reactions of disbelief or amusement at Carol’s statement. They variously looked appalled, annoyed, or resigned. Not disbelieving. Ruthie turned to Sarah. “Sarah? What?…”

“Jesus, Carol,” said Ellen disgustedly. “How do you keep _any_ professional secrets if three glasses of wine is all it takes to loosen your tongue?” Ruthie’s eyes went wide at that implied confirmation.

“More like five or six,” observed Susan.

Sarah gave up trying to herd her sister off to bed, and went back to the sofa where she’d been sitting. She gestured to Grace to move over a little, and sat down between Grace and Ruthie. She turned to her cousin. “Ruth…” she began, then paused. She had no idea what to say.

Ruthie stared at Sarah, then past her to Grace. “Sarah, what is going on? Is this some kind of joke?”

For a brief moment Sarah considered saying _yes_ , but she didn’t think she could pull that off convincingly. Even if Carol would let her. “No. No joke.” She took Ruthie’s hands in hers and squeezed. “I’m only sorry you had to find out like this.” She shot a brief glare at her sister, who looked unrepentant.

Ruthie kept looking at Grace. “Your fiancée… is… uh…”

“An alien? Yes,” said Grace. “Though I’m also part human,” she added in a reassuring tone of voice.

Ruthie didn’t look very reassured.

“An’ don’t forget the _magic,_ ” added Carol unhelpfully.

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment and sighed. “Why couldn’t I’ve been an only child,” she muttered. Indrani laughed.

Ruthie’s gaze flicked over to Carol, then to Vladia sitting next to her, still glowering. “And if you’re her sister…” Ruthie said, echoing Carol’s earlier line of thought. “You’re not just… I mean, you weren’t adopted?” True, tall pale Vladia did not look related to short dark Grace, or her grandfather. Sarah had just grown so used to their disparate appearances that the incongruity of it had slipped her mind.

Vladia tore her gaze away from Carol, and looked at Ruthie. She made an effort to smile, though her heart didn’t seem to be in it. “Yes, me too.”

Ruthie shook her head, and glanced around the circle, wide-eyed. “Anyone else?” she asked, a little hysterically.

Sarah vainly hoped Indrani would keep her mouth shut, but, no, of course not. Indrani smiled, and said, “Just me. Though I’m not a Uryuom. I’m a Miktela.”

“Right.” Ruth looked around the circle of women, all watching her with concern. “And you all just _happen_ to look like regular human beings.”

“Hey, a smokin’ _hot_ human being in my case,” protested Indrani. Susan chuckled.

“Well, I’m a shape-shifter,” said Grace.

Ruthie looked at her. “Shape-shifter. Like… a werewolf?”

“More like a were-squirrel,” said Carol with a little giggle.

“You’re not helping,” Sarah growled at her sister.

“Maybe I should just show you?” asked Grace.

Sarah looked at Ruthie, who looked like she was still struggling to decide if she was being put-on or not. “Sure,” she said cautiously. “Why not?”

Grace stood up and dropped her robe, with her usual lack of modesty. She took a breath, then shifted to her natural form. Sarah watched Ruthie’s face as Grace shifted, and watched all the color drain from her face as her eyes widened.

“That… that’s not possible,” said Ruthie. She slowly stretched out a hand as if to touch Grace, then pulled it back with a start when Grace stepped closer.

“Sorry,” said Grace, and she stepped back.

“You… changed size. Where did the mass go?” asked Ruthie. Sarah was impressed that that was the first thing Ruthie noticed, and not Grace's large bushy tail.

Grace shrugged. “No idea. Tedd has some theories, but nothing’s been confirmed.”

“Tedd?”

“Tedd’s something of a genius where magical theory is concerned,” said Sarah, with a touch of pride.

“Magic?” Ruthie glanced at Carol. “She wasn’t just pulling my leg with that comment?”

“Afraid not,” said Ellen.

Ruthie looked around the group. “So, wait, she said I was the only one who didn’t know. You all knew? About… _this?”_ She waved a hand at Grace.

Everyone nodded. “Yup.”

“Yes.”

“Afraid so.”

At Ruthie’s hurt expression, Sarah added, “We’re supposed to keep it a secret.” She glared again at Carol. “Though some of us seem to have a problem with that concept.”

“Feh,” grumbled Carol. “She’s family. She should know.”

Sarah was momentarily diverted by that. “ _Please_ don’t tell me you’ve told Mom and Dad,” she said, her stomach sinking.

Carol shook her head. “No, no, no. We’ve just barely got Mom accepting bisexuality and polyamory. I’m not going to push our luck.”

Sarah blew out a breath in relief. “Thank you for _that_ much, at least.”

“And as long as we’re clearing up any misappah— _misapprehensions_ ,” Susan carefully enunciated, while glancing at Ellen. “I just want to clarify that _my_ first time was with Grace, _not_ Tedd.” She paused, then looked at Grace and Sarah with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. “I mean, not that there’s anything _wrong_ with Tedd, it’s just… he… we…” She trailed off and flapped a hand helplessly, then gave up trying to explain, sighing.

Ellen smiled and nodded. “ _That_ makes more sense.”

Ruthie looked at Susan. “I thought you were straight.”

“I can change sexes, too,” said Grace.

“Very handy,” said Susan. “Adjustable anatomy.” She smirked. “Which Sarah _really_ appreciates.”

“ _Susan!_ ” exclaimed Sarah and Grace in unison, causing Susan to flinch a little. She flushed, and looked shame-faced.

“Sorry, sorry. That was out of line.” She sat up straighter and put her wine glass down on the table in front of her, pushing it away. “I don’t drink very often,” she explained. She rubbed her face with one hand. “Probably shouldn’t drink at all, really…”

“So… you can change sex, too?”

“Yes. Do you want to see?” offered Grace.

“I guess?”

“Put your robe back on first,” pled Indrani. “Please.”

“Killjoy,” said Carol.

Grace rolled her eyes, but complied with Indrani’s request. Her form blurred and shifted to her default human male form, taller and more muscular than her female human form. Quite a bit larger than her squirrel-human self.

Ruthie whimpered a little, and Sarah looked at her, concerned. “Ruthie? You okay?” The expression on Ruthie’s face was one of extreme dismay.

“She—he— _Grace_ is violating the law of conservation of mass. Without massive nuclear explosions. That’s… that’s…”

“Magic,” supplied Ellen.

“ _Fuuuuck_ ,” said Ruthie. She stood up, and reached out a hesitant hand to touch Grace on the shoulder. Grace stood still and let Ruthie approach her. Ruthie jerked her hand back as if burned after making contact. “Shit. You’re real.”

“Um, yes?” Grace looked both amused and a little offended.

“I mean, you’re not a hologram or something.”

“No.”

Grace shifted back to her normal female form, and sat back down next to Sarah. Ruthie sat back down on Sarah’s other side.

“So… if you three are… _aliens_ ,” Ruthie seemed to have some difficulty with the word. “Does that mean the rest of you are, are, magicians?” She looked at Sarah.

Sarah sighed. “Not so much. I mean, I was, once, but… some things changed.” The memory of having lost her magic abilities was still a bit depressing, even though she knew it was for the best, in the bigger scheme of things.

“Susan and I are probably the best fit for that description,” said Ellen.

“I’m just a damn good reporter who has been forced to sit on the story of the century,” said Carol.

“Not forever,” said Grace soothingly.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘someday,’ I know,” Carol grumbled into her wine. She emptied the glass, then reached for the wine bottle. Sarah sat up and grabbed the bottle first, pulling it away from her sister.

“Hey!” Carol protested.

Sarah gazed at her levelly. “Enough. At least drink some water first, to fight your hangover. I don’t want you missing my wedding day.”

Carol glared at her for a moment, then shook her head and put down her glass. She grabbed a can of seltzer, popped it open and took a long swig. She belched, then glared defiantly back at Sarah. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic.” Sarah and Carol stared at each other for a moment, then Carol giggled. Sarah relaxed a little at that, and smiled back.

“Lil’ sis. Always lookin’ out for me.” Carol sank back into the couch cushions, and sipped at her water.

Ruthie looked at Ellen and Susan. “So… if you two are magicians, what can you do?”

Ellen grinned. “If you _really_ want to see violations of the laws of physics, get Susan to summon a fairy doll for you.”

“A fairy doll?” Ruthie looked puzzled.

“I can’t do that anymore,” said Susan quietly.

“Wha?” Ellen turned to Susan, looking shocked. “Did you lose your magic, too?”

“No, I can still summon my weapons. Just not the fairy dolls. They’re gone.”

“Whaddya’ mean, gone?” asked Carol.

“Gone as in, no longer here?” said Susan, a touch sarcastically.

“You want me to tell the story?” asked Sarah, since she knew the topic was a little sensitive for Susan.

Susan paused a second, then shook her head. “No. Thanks. I’m mostly over it.” She took a swig of her own water, then said, “Long story short, about a year ago, I hadn’t summoned one of my dolls for almost three months. When I tried, I got no response. Checked my ‘treasure chest’, but they weren’t there. And the fairy doll section of my spell book was gone.”

Ellen looked a little stunned. “Wow. Do you… have you got any idea why?”

Susan shrugged. “The best I can come up with is, I no longer need them. Little Suze was… I used it to distance myself from reality in some ways. And also used them to share my emotions with others in ways I couldn’t allow myself to.” She smiled a little. “Id est, I grew up. I can get by without them, now.” Her expression softened, and she blushed a little, looking at the floor. “I know it sounds corny and cliché to say, but… Loving someone. And having them love me back. Made all the difference in the world.” She paused a moment, then looked up, to see the circle of women staring at her, several of them a bit wide-eyed. She snorted, and her expression returned to its usual slightly sardonic mien. She glanced at Ruthie.

“But, if it’s violations of the laws of physics you want—” she held out her hand, thumb touching her forefinger in a loose ‘O’. A flicker of magical power shimmered in the air above her hand, and a short sword appeared in her grasp. “How’s teleportation do for you? I once calculated, at E equals MC-squared, teleporting this almost two kilo sword would require about, ah, what was it… 3.5 times 10 to the 19th joules of energy.” She gently tapped the stem of her wine glass with the sword, sliding it over a few inches on the table, then she opened her hand and the sword disappeared. She looked at Ruthie and grinned. “Magic.”

“ _Magic_. That…” Ruthie shook her head. “I’m a scientist. This makes my brain hurt.”

“Tedd often says the same thing,” said Grace sympathetically. Ruthie looked back at her, and shook her head.

“I’m sorry if this is all a bit much to take in right now,” said Sarah. “I don’t want to make things too… weird for you.” She scowled yet again at her older sister. “This is _supposed_ to be a happy occasion.”

_That_ comment finally seemed to hit home with Carol, and she flushed and looked down at the floor. “Sorry,” she muttered.

“Happy occasion. Right.” Ruthie shook her head, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Grace and smiled tentatively. “I suppose… you’re the same person I’ve known and liked for years.”

“True,” said Grace. “You just know me a little better now, is all.”

Ruthie nodded. “But… I’ve got _so_ many questions.”

“Can they wait until after the wedding?” asked Sarah hopefully. She didn’t really want to turn the party into an alien and magic Q&A session.

“Yeah… yeah. If nothing else, I want to be completely sober, so I can believe what I see.” She glanced around the circle. “Aside from everyone here, who else can I talk to about this? If it’s supposed to be kept secret?” Then she frowned and shook her head. “ _Why_ is it supposed to be kept secret?”

“That’s… a complicated question. Can you trust me that it’s really important for now, if I promise we’ll explain it all, soon?” asked Sarah.

“Yeah. All right.”

“And as for who else,” said Ellen, “There’s Tedd and his groomsmen, Elliot and Dan and Sander. Tedd’s father is a big-wig in the local paranormal law enforcement community, so he’s a good go-to.”

Reminded, Sarah groaned. “Aw, crap, Edward is going to shit a _brick_ when he finds out someone else knows.”

“Sorry,” Carol reiterated.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m going to pin this _all_ on you,” said Sarah with a grim smile.

“There’s also my ex, Nanase, my parents, and…” Ellen frowned, thinking. “A few other people, various friends, who you probably don’t know.”

“Is there some secret handshake, or sign, I can give to people to find out if they know?” asked Ruthie, with a wry grin.

Sarah laughed. “Afraid not.”

“Though that would be helpful,” conceded Ellen.

“I can usually… _sense_ when another Uryuom is present,” said Grace. “Not that that helps you any.”

“Uryuom being the name of your, uh, race?” Ruthie asked.

“Yup.”

Ruthie looked at Indrani. “And you said you’re a… Migdala?”

“Miktela.”

“Miktela. Right. Are you a shape-shifter too?”

“Nope. Though I’ve used a bit of transformation tech to make myself look more completely human.” She leered cheerfully. “Especially when naked.”

“Wha—” Ruthie shut her eyes and shook her head. “Later. Right. Party time.” She opened her eyes and grinned at Carol, her expression only slightly forced. “So, Tipsy McGee, what was _your_ first sexual experience?”

 

* * *

 

Several hours later, Sarah staggered into the room she was sharing with Grace. She was glad she wasn’t wearing anything more than a robe, because it allowed her to simply collapse onto the bed, pleasantly tipsy but not too drunk. Grace, more conscientious (and more sober) than she was, brushed her teeth first before shifting to her furry form and climbing into bed with her.

Grace snuggled up against Sarah and gave a happy sigh. “I wonder what Tedd and the guys are up to? You think they had a hot-tub-and-gossip party too?”

Sarah sleepily considered that mental image for a moment and snorted, shaking her head. “Eh… not likely. More likely they had a Settlers of Catan marathon or some such.”

Grace chuckled. “Yeah, that would be more in character.” She gave Sarah a good-night kiss. “Sweet dreams, my love.”

“Love you. G’night,” Sarah murmured, burying her face in Grace’s fur as she drifted off, a smile on her face.

 

* * *

 

 

“ _Tedd!_ Where on earth did that grizzly come from?” Elliot panted.

“How the hell would _I_ know?”

“They’re not— _supposed_ to be—nocturnal,” gasped Sander.

“Tell _him_ that! And keep rowing!”

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to Cho_Cozi_Seyunolu for letting me bounce a few ideas off of them :-).
> 
> Note that one of the _EGS Story Fragments_ , Chapter 2, [_The Morning Before_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11996211/chapters/27140445), follows directly on this.


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